Photo By Master Sgt. Ceaira Tinsley | U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Brie Pinkett, medical technician, Langley Air Force...... read more read more
Vigilant.
That’s the adjective one U.S. Air Force Airman’s co-workers use to describe her work ethic. That vigilance paid dividends when a patient began feeling ill due to an underlying health condition that was unrelated to receiving the COVID-19 vaccination at the Community Vaccination Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Among the 139 Airmen deployed to support the whole-of-government effort to expedite vaccinating the masses, is Airman First Class Brie Pinkett, a Langley Air Force Base medical technician, known for her attention to detail.
“I was maybe 15-feet away from him when he called my name,” said Pinkett. “He told me that he had a little indigestion. This could be a normal symptom but I double checked it with my manager to make sure it wasn’t anything serious. It turns out that he was having a heart attack.”
The patient was later transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated and diagnosed with a myocardial infarction.
“We’re seeing an array of patients here and some of them are elderly or may have underlying health conditions,” said Pinkett. “It’s important for us to not only monitor them for an adverse reaction related to the vaccine but any health-related incident.”
Pinkett had only administered about eight vaccinations when one of her patients began feeling ill.
“At first I thought something wasn’t right and then I jumped into action,” said Pinkett. “When it comes to springing into action it’s like first nature to me.”
Pinkett also noted that although this incident wasn’t related to the vaccine, she recognizes that mild adverse reactions are normal.
“Adverse reactions are normal for any vaccination,” said Pinkett. “They actually say that if you do start to feel symptoms after a vaccination, that means your body is reacting well and trying to conform to the vaccine. An adverse reaction isn’t necessarily bad but everyone is different.”
The center’s current protocol is to monitor each patient for a minimum of 15 minutes following a vaccine to ensure the health and safety of each patient.
“She recognized that he had indigestion that wouldn’t go away and it needed to be elevated,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Miranda Fadden, 1st Special Operations Wing Public Health operations chief, Hurlburt Field, Florida. “It’s awesome that we were able to be here and help him because had we let him leave, he could have had a heart attack in the car, but we were able to get him help before he left.”
Pinkett’s medical training, equivalent to that of a civilian licensed practical nurse, caused her to look beyond what could have been seen as simple indigestion.
“Sometimes you can get in the zone but you still have to be aware of the people you’re vaccinating,” she added. “Some people may think I’m a little extra and a little too observant but I know that helps my patients.”
Pinkett remains excited to be a part of a greater cause and looks forward to continuing to help meet North Carolina’s goal of vaccinating 3,000 people a day.
“I love helping people,” said Pinkett, who has set her sights on becoming an Air Force physician assistant. “I love medical because I love being hands on.”
U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing continued, flexible Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the whole-of-government response to COVID-19.
| Date Taken: | 03.16.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.23.2021 14:41 |
| Story ID: | 391469 |
| Location: | GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 578 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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